Jewish Baseball News

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Major League teams drafted at least 13 Jewish amateurs in June and signed at least two undrafted players. Since then at least 10 have signed, pushing the current number of MOTs in the majors and minors to 65.

So who are the Fab 15? A complete list is included in the table below. Here are some other facts about them:

• Nine of the 15 were selected out of college, and the remaining six from high school.
• Four of the 15 decided to forego the pros temporarily in order to attend college. The only draftee we’re uncertain about is Macalester College alum Mitch Glasser. In a great interview with Rabbi Jeremy Fine, Glasser said he expected to sign with the White Sox and join the franchise in Spring 2013, but his status remains unconfirmed.
• Baseball America ranked recent high-school grads Alex Bregman and Rhett Wiseman among the top 150 amateurs available in the 2012 draft but correctly predicted that both would choose to attend college now. The publication said scouts “love (Wiseman’s) athleticism and raw tools,” and it pointed out that Bregman broke New Mexico’s single-season high-school home run record last year with 18.
• One recruit, Tampa Bay Rays prospect Sean Bierman, already has been promoted to Class A. Given the Rays’ reputation for finding bargains, it’s perhaps no surprise that Bierman received just $5,000 for signing.
• Max Fried, an 18-year-old pitcher from Van Nuys, Calif., was the 7th overall pick in the June 2012 draft, making him the fifth-highest Jewish draft pick of all time. He also earned a tidy $3-million bonus. Baseball America calls him “cerebral and determined,” as well as a possible No. 1 or No. 2 starter in the majors.

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By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

We recently told you about two athletes who were selected in this year’s MLB amateur draft. The San Diego Padres picked up 18-year-old pitcher Max Fried in the 1st round (7^th pick overall) and agreed earlier this month to pay him a $3-million bonus. The Chicago White Sox chose hometown boy Mitch Glasser in the 39th round (1,191st overall).

Though it’ll likely be weeks before all of the Jewish draftees have been identified, we are aware of at least four more. They are:

• Jon Moscot, drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 4^th round (142^nd pick overall), signed for a $317,800 bonus. A 20-year-old pitcher out of Pepperdine University, the 6’4″ California native has been assigned to the rookie-league AZL Reds. Baseball America says he has a “chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues.”
• Jacob Kapstein, drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 35th round (1,084th overall), is an 18-year-old catcher out of Little Compton, R.I. He comes from a baseball family. His uncle Jeremy Kapstein is senior advisor for baseball projects for the Boston Red Sox. His brother Zach was drafted by the Red Sox in 2010 and currently plays for the Lowell Spinners (A-short season). Jacob has been assigned to the rookie-league GCL Tigers, where he is 1-for-2 with a double.
• Maxx Tissenbaum, drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11^th round (345th pick oveall), signed for a $100,000 bonus. A 20-year-old Toronto native, he recently completed his junior year at SUNY-Stony Brook and helped the Seawolves reach the 2012 College World Series.
• Jeremy Schaffer, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 18^th round (570th pick overall), recently switched from catcher to first base. A 22-year-old out of Tulane Univesity, he is assigned to the rookie-league Johnson City Cardinals, where he is batting .176 with 1 HR and 5 RBIs in 34 at-bats.

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Mitch Glasser

By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News

Getting drafted isn’t easy for NCAA Division III ballplayers. Only 12 were selected in Major League Baseball’s 2012 amateur draft.

But Chicago native and Macalester College alum Mitch Glasser beat the odds when the Chicago White Sox, his childhood favorite, chose him in the 39th round, or 1,191st overall.

Dubbed a renaissance man by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the second baseman struck out just three times in his first three years of college ball, and in 2011 was the hardest to strike out of any Division III player.

Glasser majored in psychology and minored in religious studies at Macalester.

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